<blockquote><h1>IBM Launches Federal Community Cloud for Government Organizations</h1><i>Private Multi-tenant Cloud Environment Now Available to Agencies Using IBM's FISMA-Compliant Federal Data Centers
</i><p>IBM's Federal Community Cloud (FCC) will enable data and services to
reside in secure, scalable data centers that can be quickly accessed by
federal organizations at a fraction of the cost. The capabilities are
dynamic and scalable to help organizations meet government consolidation
policies mandated by Obama administration Chief Information Officer
Vivek Kundra in February. Benefits include:</p>
<ul class="ibm-bullet-list" type="disc"><li class="ibm-no-links">Secure, private multi-tenant cloud designed to meet the demanding requirements of the federal government</li><li class="ibm-no-links">Flexibility to control technology environments and operation costs to match fluctuations in demand</li><li class="ibm-no-links">Reduction in costs by eliminating the need to own infrastructures or software licenses</li><li class="ibm-no-links">Faster implementation time of development and test environments, application and Web hosting and backup</li><li class="ibm-no-links">Access to distributed information and advanced analytics solutions via cloud-based applications</li><li class="ibm-no-links">Access to consulting services and
Infrastructure as a Service, with plans to soon include Platform as a
Service and Software as a Service offerings</li></ul>
<p>IBM's Federal Community Cloud is in the process of obtaining Fed Ramp
certification to meet FISMA (Federal Information Security Management
Act) compliance standards, a requirement for government IT contractors,
and will be operated and maintained in accordance with Federal Security
Guidelines.</p><br /><h1><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></h1><div> </div><h1><i><br /></i></h1></blockquote>

Teresa Takai, the Defense Department's chief information officer, says the "paramount" goal of effective security in acloud computinginfrastructure is best achieved using an internal "private" system, though she wouldn't rule out use of commercial providers.

In oral testimony at ahearingof the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities on April 6, Takai said Defense could opt for public cloud services offered by companies such as Google and Microsoft Corp.

In response to questions from Rep. James Langevin, D-R.I., Takai said, "There will be instances where we [can] use commercial cloud providers ... [if] they meet our standards." She did not specify what type of applications Defense would host on a commercial cloud.

Takai added the department plans to tap the Defense Information Systems Agency, which already is providing private cloud services to the Army and email service for 1.4 million personnel. The Army, Takai said, is "looking to move [its] apps to the cloud."

One of her key priorities is to secure the Pentagon's classified networks after masses of data were illicitly siphoned off last fall to the WikiLeaks website, said Takai, who took office last October. In her preparedtestimony,she said Defense plans to deploy a public key infrastructure-based identity credential on a hardened smart card for use on the department's Secret classified networks. It is similar to, but stronger than, the technology in the Common Access Card on unclassified networks.

Defense also plans to use a Host-Based Security System to protect classified networks, a tool that "will allow us to know who is on the network" and detect anomalous behavior, Takai told the hearing.

Vivek KundraFederal CIO and Administrator of E-Government and ITOffice of Management and Budget

Vivek
Kundra has been an impact player. Since joining the Obama
administration as the government’s first CIO, Kundra has been in
constant motion, championing one initiative after another, including
cloud computing, transparency, metrics and data center consolidation.

But
in December 2010, Kundra got everyone’s attention — inside the
Washington Beltway and beyond — when he rolled out the administration’s
much-anticipated 25-point plan for reforming IT management. The
initiative, which pulls together some ideas that have been floated
before, provides an IT road map for the next two years. It focuses on
shorter procurement cycles, better program management and improved
government/industry communications.

Kundra got kudos for
spearheading an extensive outreach effort that gave industry groups and
agency stakeholders ample opportunity to weigh in on the plan.

IBM Expands the Institute for Electronic Government in Washington to Focus on Advancements in Analytics and Cloud Computing

Virtual Collaboratory to Connect Thousands of Government Leaders Globally

WASHINGTON
-
01 Mar 2011:
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today
announced a major expansion of its Institute for Electronic Government
(IEG) in Washington, D.C., adding cloud computing and analytics
capabilities for public sector organizations around the world.

IBM has moved and expanded the facility in order to meet the
growing demand from Government, Health Care and Education leaders who
recognize the potential of cloud computing environments and business
analytics technologies to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and tackle
energy and budget challenges.

According to recent IBM surveys of technology leaders globally, 83
percent of respondents identified business analytics -- the ability to
see patterns in vast amounts of data and extract actionable insights --
as a top priority and a way in which they plan to enhance their
competitiveness. In addition, an overwhelming majority of respondents
-- 91 percent -- expect cloud computing to overtake on-premise
computing as the primary IT delivery model by 2015.